Karina
by confusedbassplayer
Summary: I'm Karina Robina. I'm not sure how I ended up in the world of pokemon, but either way, I'm a new trainer. Take a read as I show you my story through Unova, and tell you about how I kicked some Plasma butt and dealt with Cheren. Based on Black. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Generic Beginnings

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><p>Hello… My name is Karina. Why should you care? Well, it's quite simple, really: I have a story to tell you. So, if you're willing to hear me out, I'll get the introductory stuff over with.<p>

As I said, I'm Karina. Most of you are probably thinking that I'm from one of the five regions, right? Well, you're quite wrong, if you don't mind me saying. To clear things up, I'm not even from the world of Pokémon. I'm from Canada. I won't say exactly where, for security reasons, seeing as I don't live in Unova anymore…

I know what you're probably thinking. You guys want to know how the heck I ended up in Unova. Well, at the risk of making this sound like a bad fanfic, I'm honestly not sure. I went to sleep one night, exhausted from performing Fiddler on the Roof five times over the past three days, and the next morning, I woke up to a Lilipup sniffing me somewhere in the streets of Nuvema.

So, anyway, before I get on with the actual story, I assume you want to know a bit about my appearance, since you're only reading whatever I right down, right?

Well, to get this out of the way, I'm pretty pale, mostly from not being outside much, I have dark brown eyes and matching hair that goes down to my lower back. I wear a blue bandana with my school's logo on it as a headband, but the logo is always hidden because I really don't like that place… Anyway, I ware small silver cross earrings (a gift from Mom), and a silver necklace with a small Mickey Mouse charm on it. I wear a baby blue tank top with a light zebra patterned jacket, black yoga pants, and black and white running shoes. On my right arm I wear a simple gold bracelet with five heart charms (another gift from Mom), on my left arm I wear a silver watch (also a gift from Mom).

Anyway, I'm eighteen years old, tall, and I honestly don't consider myself to be skinny, but all my friends say otherwise. What that had to do with anything, I don't know… Anyway, as for my personality, I'm shy most of the time, I speak my mind in emotionally intense situations, and I'm a little forgetful at times.

Before I ended up in Unova, I was a popular bass player among the ranks of musicians at my school. I hated the attention though. I hated being seen as someone who was on a higher level then every other musician at school. I just wanted to be myself, and maybe attempt to make a living as a full time musician, even though that would be quite the difficult task…

So, we're eight paragraphs in. Are you sick of reading about me yet? Well, even if you aren't, which I highly doubt, I'll hurry this next bit up so I can start the story, ok?

In the spirit of hurrying things up, I'd just like to say that I'll start two years after I actually showed up, and after I spent my time coming to grips with the existence of Pokémon. Seriously, if you saw a REAL live Pokémon in front of you, would you not be freaked? Answer me honestly!

…Ok…So I'm still a little freaked out by Pokémon…Not that it really matters…Let's just get on with this story, shall we?

* * *

><p>"You know," I said picking up the little Lilipup, the one that found me two years ago. "You remind me of Sasha…"<p>

Thoughts of the strong German Sheppard who I used to call my little sister flooded my mind. Sure, this Lilipup was physically comparable to Rambo, my cousin's Chiwawa, but she was playful, and constantly at my side, ready to protect me at a moment's notice, as Sasha used to be. Hell, Lilipup even smelled like Sasha!

The little Pokémon looked at me in confusion, as though it wanted to know who Sasha was. I spent the next ten minutes satisfying her curiosity, telling her all about my "sister": the good times, the bad times, the times when Sasha wouldn't leave me alone, how she used to keep a constant eye on me and my brother, how we used to play fetch, even when my family had to give her up because Mom and Dad developed allergies to her fur…

Tears started to form in my eyes when I told Lilipup about the last day I ever saw Sasha. The thought and the sight of seeing Sasha sticking her head out of her new owner's car as she drove away made me want to cry.

I finished my story, crying a little bit. "I never saw her again…She was my best friend…I was depressed for weeks…You know? I don't think I'm over it…"

A tear fell onto Lilipup's fur and she looked up at me, eyes full of sadness, as though she understood MY sadness. I picked her up and gave her a light hug, to which she responded by licking me on the cheek.

"You know what makes you different from Sasha," I asked laughing a little bit. "She hated it when I hugged her."

"Karina," a voice shouted interrupting Lilipup's comforting. "Karina!"

Cheren came running toward me, seemingly in a hurry. "Karina, did you forget?"

"Uh, HI Cheren," I said as he finally stood beside me.

"Hi," he said dismissively. "You did forget, didn't you? You've been playing with Lilipup again…" he took a closer look at my face and gasped slightly. "Have you been crying again?"

I nodded and stood up to face him. "Just telling Lilipup about a friend of mine…"

Cheren nodded slowly and dropped the subject. He knew about where I came from, although everyone who knew about me had no idea how I ended up in Unova. He knew I got really emotional when I thought about home and everyone I unwillingly left behind.

"C'mon," he said changing the subject. "Professor Juniper wanted to see you today, remember?"

* * *

><p>"Karina," Professor Juniper said calmly. "You can do this. Maybe if you head out into the world, you'll find out what you're meant to do in life…"<p>

I knew she was right. It was just like being trapped at school. How was I supposed to learn about myself if I was stuck in one place all my life?

"You're right, but," I stopped, thinking of the fears that bound me to one place. "What if something happens? …I mean, a person like me could end up in some…"

"Karina," Professor Juniper sternly interrupted. "If someone with your disability can do what you can do, then you can do more!"

"Maybe," I said, deciding not to push the argument.

* * *

><p>Let's take a temporary break from the story to answer a question that may have just popped into your head: what disability is the professor talking about?<p>

Well, seeing as you don't know me too well, I'll tell you that I have a not so wonderful eye condition called Familial Exutative Retinopathy. It's a genetic condition that causes a vain to leak in the back of the eye. This causes retina damage and sometimes cataracts, which I have blocking my left eye.

This condition hinders my sight to the point where I can't see things in clear detail, and I can't read anything smaller then size fourteen font, and that's pushing it! Having said that, seeing things from far away is a challenge, which is nearly impossible to overcome. Oh, another fun fact, my current level of energy and the time of day play a role in how clearly I see things.

I'll explain more about it as the story goes on, but for now, enough of this annoying explanatory crap!

* * *

><p>Professor Juniper gave me the "Pokémon trainer starter speech" and all the equipment that came with it: Pokedex, starter Pokémon, and five other pokeballs.<p>

My starter was an Oshawott, which I named Silver, after my school's swim team "the Silver Otters". He didn't seem to mind the name, and seeing as he was an otter, the team's mascot, it seemed to fit.

Silver was a spunky little Pokémon who loved to run circles around me until he collapsed from exhaustion. He was fun and playful, and he was eager to travel with me by the looks of it.

Professor Juniper also gave me a black shoulder bag that was big enough to hold any extra things my duffle bag couldn't. You know, aside from the essentials that trainers in Pokémon games never seem to have. Clothing, food, a tooth brush, that sort of thing.

Cheren had agreed to come with me as my "guide to the Unova region". Honestly, that made me feel a little more comfortable about leaving a now familiar place, even though he had the tendency of being an annoying know it all. He was a good friend, and he treated me like a person instead of a mentally disabled vegetable like Bianca did.

Bianca had this tendency to be EXTREMELY scatterbrained, which is saying something, coming out of my mouth! She always forgot that "visually impaired" meant a lack of sight, but she had no trouble associating the term with mental disabilities.

I knew it was because of a lack of awareness, even Cheren had to adjust to the concept, but it was annoying, to say the least. That didn't mean I didn't like Bianca, though. I just preferred not to talk to her, which was fine in this case, since she decided to go ahead of us to avoid her over-protective parental.

* * *

><p>"Karina, are you ready for this?"<p>

Cheren and I stood at the edge of town, about to officially start our travels. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Silver jumped excitedly as Cheren and I moved onto the route. Cheren's Snivy strolled confidently beside us, rolling his eyes at Silver's rather amusing antics.

"We should train at some point," Cheren said thinking out loud. "It'll make our lives a bit easier down the road."

"Yeah," I agreed. "How about we have ourselves a little battle?"

I could tell this caught Cheren's attention. Our Pokémon were both new to the battling world, having been born in the lab, and a fresh challenge would help them.

"Ok," he said turning to face me. "Let's do it."

The two of us looked down at our Pokémon and called them to get their attention. Cheren and I explained our plan to battle, and our little friends jumped excitedly in response. Clearly, they wanted to learn how to fight.

"Lucas, tackle!" Cheren's Snivy, obviously named Lucas, charged toward Silver.

"Silver, water gun!"

The little otter obeyed enthusiastically as a stream of water shot forth from its mouth. The attack hit Lucas and he struggled through the water to land a weakened blow on Silver.

Silver jumped back and prepared to use water gun again. I stopped him and told him to move away from the vine whip that Cheren had Lucas deploy.

"Silver," I shouted as he ended up caught in the vines despite his attempt to dodge. "Use water gun again!"

"Lucas," Cheren called. "Plow him into the ground!"

The snake complied and Silver was thrown into the ground just as he deployed his water gun. The water attack softened the impact, but Silver was covered in mud when he stood up.

"Silver," I shouted as he got the mud out of his eyes. "Give him your tackle!"

Cheren told Lucas to do the same, and both Pokémon charged toward each other. I had Silver duck out at the last second, which caught Lucas off guard, and sent a water gun his way.

Lucas was sent flying. Silver jumped up in excitement and Cheren ran to check on his fallen comrade, who had barely moved.

"Is Lucas ok?"

"He'll be fine," Cheren said spraying a potion on his Pokémon. "That was a pretty short battle."

"You sound disappointed," I said making sure Silver was ok. "It was our first battle, you know."

* * *

><p>To make a long story slightly shorter, Cheren and I managed to do a bit more training before we reached Acumula. The training wasn't very eventful, except for the fact that Cheren caught a Patrat named Max.<p>

Anyway, we reached Acumula by around six PM, so we decided to explore after visiting the Pokémon Center. Honestly, there wasn't much to the town. It was mostly a few stores, apartments, and a plaza that took up the center of the town.

We did find one place that caught my interest. We found a small house in the north end of town with a sign that read: "MUSICIANS WELCOME!" Naturally, I was excited so I convinced Cheren to spend some time there.

We were welcomed in by two young musicians: a piano player named Bella, and a drummer named Josh. Those two were talented, to say the least. They would've raised hell at a classical concert at my school, but then again, raising hell in the music wing wasn't hard. I did it during one of my first performances, where I had to play a five note bass line. Yeah, my school was a sad place… That bass line wasn't even hard.

Anyway, speaking of bass guitars, Bella and Josh happened to be in possession of one! I was ecstatic, to say the least, letting out Silver to watch the show. I admit, I was a little rusty, having not played for two years, but I got back into the swing of things soon enough to jam for a solid two hours.

Silver seemed to enjoy the music. He danced around the room, trying to get Cheren to dance with him. Unfortunately for Silver, Cheren sat around like an emotionless vulkin, waiting to vacate the premises.

* * *

><p>"What was that song called again?"<p>

Bella, Josh and I had finished our musical shenanigans for the night, and I had taught them a song that one of my music teachers taught me.

"It's called 'So What'."

"Awesome," Josh said. "You sure you have to go now?"

"It's getting late," Cheren interrupted. "And we're planning on moving to Striatin tomorrow."

Needless to say, Cheren and I said our good buys to the musicians and headed off to the Pokémon center to rent a room for the night.

* * *

><p>"So."<p>

I was semi conscious when Cheren spoke. We were in the Pokémon center, sharing a small room with two other trainers, who apparently weren't back from their escapades of the day.

"Huh?"

"I was just thinking…"

"Yeah?"

"I've never seen you smile like that."

Oh, shit! Really? Did he have to set us both up for an awkward moment at this time of night? Was this going to be like those three guys who had been afraid to ask me out? Was I going to have to give him the "let's just stay friends" speech?

"You looked really happy," he said after I gave no verbal response. "I'm glad… You probably haven't felt that way for a long time…"

**AN:**** Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! Feel free to review! **

**Also, if people start talking about the fact that I refer to places like Neuvenma Town as just Neuvema, it's because I personally don't call places (insert city name here) City. **

**Also, Karina is self image oc. I changed some details about her to make her slightly different, but for the most part, she's me. And no, my real name is not Karina. **

**Also, I've officially been frustrated with the formatting issues I've been having. I had everything nice and neat in Word, but all my separations went away when I uploaded this. I'm just using line thingys for now, so if it gets confusing, or the line things aren't in the story, PLEASE let me know and give me some tips on how to fix this.  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Enter Plasma and N

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><p><strong>AN: Hay guys, CBP here. <strong>**I'm going to assume you know what's going to happen in this chapter. I'm trying to make this follow the game, but be as different as possible too. This is pretty game-like though… Oh well! **

**Before I let you guys get to the chapter, I'd just like to warn you to not expect frequent updates from me. I've been focusing on school and music, as well as my other fic, A World Unseen, ****which desperately needs updating on my website… Anyway, enjoy reading! Oh! Expect sarcasm too! **

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><p>"Karina, one waffle isn't going to hold you for a long time."<p>

Cheren and I decided to take advantage of the cafeteria food, provided by the Pokémon Center, but I wasn't very hungry.

"I'll get something to go."

"Why do you never eat a full breakfast?"

"Ha! You're one to talk," I scoffed looking at his small bowl of corn flakes. "Yours is tiny bland AND boring! At least my waffle has syrup on it. That gives it a nice flavor."

Cheren didn't say anything in response. He simply continued to eat his small bowl without looking at me until we were both done.

While Cheren was sulking in defeat, I looked down at Silver and Lucas, who were happily eating bowls of some sort of kibble or something. Eventually, Silver looked up at me and made a funny little squeak noise before jumping into my lap.

"Hay, Silver," I greeted. "How's breakfast?"

He nuzzled my arm and looked down at his bowl, which Lucas was eyeing enviously. Silver gave Lucas a small nod and Lucas dove into the remains of Silver's breakfast.

"You don't eat much in the morning, do you?"

Silver climbed onto my shoulder and made another funny squeak sound in response to my question.

* * *

><p>"What the hell is going on?"<p>

Cheren and I were standing in the plaza of Acumula, staring at some oddly dressed individuals talking about Pokémon liberation, or some shit like that. Like, seriously! Since when did the Knights Templar come back?

"My name is Ghetsis," the most ridiculous looking man said. "I am here representing Team Plasma, and I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

The entire crowd of people around us was chattering in confusion, but Cheren and I just stood still, waiting for this messed up joker to get on with his speech.

I honestly don't know why, but I got really bad vibes from this Ghetsis person. I couldn't see him too clearly from where I stood, but the way he spoke was so practiced. Most people wouldn't and didn't notice a thing. Me on the other hand… The way he spoke was similar to the way a good number of staff at my school spoke. I could tell right off the bat that he was a big fat fucking liar.

"Are Pokémon truly happy confined in pokeballs," Ghetsis asked. "Do we humans really live with Pokémon in harmony, or do we take advantage of them and abuse them?"

The crowd gasped as they thought about what Ghetsis was saying. They were being reeled in by his lies, like a fish to a worm. I had to admit though… He had a good question. Were Pokémon happy in pokeballs? They fought for us, but was it because they wanted to? I remembered the battle Cheren and I had and how our Pokémon reacted to the prospect of battling. If they didn't want to battle, they would have run away or turned their backs to us or something.

"What can we do to ensure the best for Pokémon," Ghetsis inquired. "How can we ensure that Pokémon become perfect beings?"

"Uh, liberate them," a person in the crowd asked. "Is that it? We release our Pokémon?"

"That is absolutely correct sir," Ghetsis praised. "We must liberate Pokémon and free them from the tyranny of humanity!"

I felt a surge of anger rush through me and I clenched my hands into fists to hold it in. What was this fucktard talking about? Sure, I could have paid a little more attention to his speech, but liberating Pokémon? Really?

"And that, my friends," Ghetsis said with a bow. "Is the end of my speech. I hope you will consider my words and do what is best for Pokémon."

With that, the oddly dressed people, now known as Team Plasma, surrounded Ghetsis and they all walked off somewhere. Why did this guy need a personal army? What the hell did they use for weapons? …Oh, right, Pokémon!

I laughed inwardly at the realization that an entire group of hypocrites walked off like a group of total saints. Another surge of anger flowed through me. Why did I have to run into the worst kind of people imaginable?

* * *

><p>Silver shot a powerful Water Gun attack at the freaky purple cat, commanded by some weirdo with green hair. The cat deftly dodged the stream of water and came back on the rebound with its claws ready for a Scratch attack.<p>

"Purloin," the dude said calmly. "Finnish this."

Before I could formulate a response in my head, the Purloin struck Silver in the face, leaving a bloody scratch mark on his cute little nose. Silver didn't let that stop him though. He quickly got back on his little feet and probably glared daggers as he made a squeak sound.

The green haired guy seemed to be taken aback by Silver's noise, as if he understood him. Honestly, this guy was pretty odd. When he approached me and Cheren, he said our Pokémon were talking to us. He told us that he was a trainer that questioned the entire practice and he challenged me to a battle.

Silver took the small shell that grew on his belly and held it in his hand. The Purloin got ready to strike once more but Silver made the first move without waiting for an order from me. Silver ran towards the cat, shouting the best battle cry a tiny otter could, and used the shell as a sort of sword to strike purloin in the side.

The cat was shocked by the apparent pain that surged through its body as the attack hit. I to, was shocked as the shell actually cut into the cat's skin. I only knew this because the cat left a small trail of red on the white stone road of Acumula as it moved backwards in defense.

"Purloin, no," the dude cried as he knelt beside the cat. "I'm so sorry! It was my fault you got hurt!"

The cat made a small hiss as the dude sprayed a potion on its wounds. I could tell that the green haired dude was distressed. His tone made it clearer than ever. He truly cared about the safety of Pokémon.

Silver didn't want to let things go though. He prepared himself for another attack but the Purloin made his friend aware of it.

"Oshawatt," he pleaded. "Please, don't hurt him. The battle is over."

Silver didn't pay him any mind. He launched his attack with pure determination.

"Silver, wait," I called out. "He's right, the fight's over! I'm calling this a draw!"

Silver hesitated inches from Purloin's head. The green haired guy looked like he was about to kick Silver's ass for poking a dead fire, but he made no move to attack. Silver backed away and turned to walk back to me. I walked towards him and picked him up.

"Let's do something about that cut," Cheren said as Silver started to cry.

I hugged the small Pokémon tightly as Cheren applied the proper care for the wound.

"Your Pokémon is sad."

I looked up from my comfort session with Silver to see the green haired guy looking at us.

"I coulda told you that," I said. "What's it to ya, anyway? Silver isn't your responsibility, Purloin is."

"Purloin will be fine," he said holding up a pokeball. "But your Oshawatt has never bled before…"

"His name is Silver," I interrupted. "And I don't blame him for being sad. He's probably gonna get a scar…"

A flashback from when I was six suddenly came flooding into my mind. I was sitting next to an obscenely wide slide, trying to make sense of a regular print book, when three boys came up beside me. I couldn't remember their names, but I remembered the minor details of their faces that I could see. The leader of the three demanded that I move aside to let them go down the slide, but I told them that they could just go around me. The next thing I knew, I was at the bottom of the slide, face down, sliding across the pebbles. I came out of it with a long scar on my nose that decided to stick around for a few months. It was yet another thing that made me different then all the sighted non-Portuguese kids…

I hugged Silver more tightly as the flashback faded away. I hated thinking about the first grade. I hated thinking about those kids. Quite frankly, I hated thinking about that dam Catholic school altogether!

"You're sad too," the dude observed sadly. "I'm sorry… I didn't think this battle would hurt anyone like this…"

"It's not your fault, dude," I said. "It doesn't really have…"

"Don't tell this guy anything he doesn't need to know," Cheren interrupted coldly. "I don't trust this joker."

"Did I not introduce myself," the guy asked, seemingly oblivious to Cheren's insult. "I apologize… My name is N. N Harmonia."

"I'm Karina Robina," I said.

"Cheren…"

Silver added his own introduction in the form of a squeak. _"My name's Silver." _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

* * *

><p>After the Plasma and N encounters ended, Cheren and I headed out of Acumula towards Striaton. Cheren had told me that the first gym was there, and that he wanted to collect all the badges from each gym and become the Unova champion. Seeing as Cheren was my guide, I figured I might as well try out the gyms too. Who knew how far I'd go?<p>

Anyway, back to what's actually relevant, Cheren and I had done some training, and he caught a Pidove named Hawlkly, and we ran into Bianca.

"Cheren," Bianca called in her overly cheery fashion. "How have things been for you?"

"Hi, Bianca," Cheren greeted as she bounded over to us like a puppy on a sugar high. "I thought you'd be a little farther ahead then… Wait! Watch your step!"

As Bianca ran toward us, Cheren obviously spotted a rock or something in the ground that was sure to trip anyone who came across it. Sure enough, Bianca's foot got caught in whatever it was, and she promptly fell flat on her face, having realized what happened when it was too late.

"…Ow…"

Out of nowhere, a Pokémon popped out of Bianca's bag. Obviously, it had been inside a pokeball, you know, considering it was about the same size of the bag, and the red flash of light was a pretty good indicator too. Anyway, the Pokémon was small and it was coloured red black and yellow. I knew what it was even before I heard it snort. It was a Tepig, one of the three Unova starter Pokémon.

The Tepig started to sniff Bianca as she picked herself up. "Pokey, didn't I put you in your pokeball? …Meh, I guess it's not important…"

"You ok," I asked as she picked up her Pokémon. "That looked like it hurt."

"Oh, I'm fine, Sweetie," she replied trying to put herself at eye level with me. "I saw you guys walking along, so I thought I'd pop over to challenge Cheren to a battle before I headed off to Nacreene for the next gym!"

I cringed at the word "Sweetie". I mean, come on! Sweetie? Really? I'm NOT sweet! I'll admit to being nice on occasion, but I'm not fucking sweet!

"A battle," Cheren asked. "I would, but Lucas and Hockley are tired from training."

"Oh," Bianca said disapointed. "I was looking forward to a battle…"

"I'll take you on," I said holding up Silver's pokeball. "Silver's got lots of energy left."

* * *

><p>Silver excitedly prepared himself for the battle against Pokey, shell in hand, and sizing up the situation. Silver and I both knew that we had the type advantage, so in theory, the battle wouldn't be too hard.<p>

"Pokey," Bianca whispered so I couldn't hear her, although her attempt failed. "We should go a little easy on them…"

"Are you trying to insult me," I demanded, my temper starting to flare up. "Because it's working! I can hear you telling your Pokémon to go easy on us! Why is that? Is it because I'm visually impaired? You think that affects my mind and logical thinking?"

"Well, I…"

"God dam it, Bianca! I've been here for two years, and you still don't understand the concept of a visual disability?"

"I…"

"Don't start with the bull shit," I angrily interrupted. "I'm going to battle you and prove to you once and for all that I'm not mentally disabled and can dam well fight for myself!"

At that moment, Silver seemed to be having a similar conversation with Pokey. Silver was growling with surprising anger, as if he was threatening to force Pokey to fight hard. Pokey, on the other hand, seemed to be antimidated by Silver's tone. He responded to Silver's words with nervous sounding snorts that only Silver could understand. Eventually, Silver and Pokey seemed to reach an understanding of some kind and they properly readied themselves for battle.

Bianca, after a demand from me, started the battle by having Pokey use tackle on Silver. In response, Silver used a strong water gun that sent Pokey sliding back to where he started.

"Come on, Bianca," I shouted. "You can do better than that!" Silver did his best snarl and both Bianca and Pokey flinched. "Do I really have to force you? Fine! Silver, razor shell!"

As though he anticipated my command, Silver leapt forward with his shell ready to strike. Pokey instinctively dodged and Bianca had him use ember to slow down the attack. Unfortunately for Silver, the embers released by Pokey hit Silver in his shell wielding arm, causing pain to visibly shoot through his little body. Seriously, I practically felt the pain!

Silver yelped in pain and dropped his shell, leaving an opening for Pokey's tackle, which promptly sent Silver sprawling to the ground.

"Silver's burnt," Cheren stated as I whacked my brain for a solution to the problem. "You don't have any burn heals do you?"

Before I could respond to Cheren's question, Silver pulled himself together and grabbed his shell with his left hand in order to continue the attack. This caught Pokey by surprise but he dodged and tackled at Bianca's command.

So, she was putting up a fight after all.

I smiled slightly and told Silver to use water gun in order to put some distance between him and Pokey. The otter obeyed and the Tepig was sent sliding backwards.

"Pokey," Bianca shouted. "Don't give up!"

As if on cue, Pokey's body became engulfed in flames. The tiny pig stood still for a moment, as if it were trying to make sense of what was going on. Clearly, he figured it out because he began charging toward Silver at an incredible speed.

"Dodge and use water gun!"

Silver barley managed to dodge, but he did land a hit with water gun when Pokey came back for another hit. The water slowed the attack and steam was produced to the point where no one could see.

The steam made my eyes burn and I shut them due to the pain. I could hear Cheren and Bianca crying out as the steam took its toll on them as well.

Meanwhile, Pokey and Silver kept struggling against each other in an attempt to win the battle. It was impossible to tell who was winning, but us humans knew that it was only a matter of time. One of our Pokémon would falter, and the other would win.

After what seemed like an eternity, the steam cleared up, only to reveal an unconscious Tepig with a barley conscious Oshawatt standing over him. It was obvious; Silver had won the power struggle. If Pokey held out just a little longer though, Silver might have been overwhelmed.

"Pokey," Bianca shouted in surprise. "Pokey! Pokey, are you all right?"

The two of us ran up to our Pokémon to check up on them. Pokey was flat out knocked out, and Silver was ready to collapse. I decided that I should put Silver back in his pokeball, to prevent the burn on his arm from hurting him any more than it already had. Bianca, to, had also decided to recall Pokey, possibly thinking that taking him to a Pokémon Center would be the best option.

"That was intense," I said after recalling Silver. "We should do it again sometime."

* * *

><p>"That must have been quite the battle," a green haired waiter commented as Cheren and I were talking over dinner. "Oh, pardon my intrusion… My brother is temporarily occupied at the moment. Is there anything you need?"<p>

"Yes, actually there is," I replied. "Can I get a refil on iced tea?"

"Certainly," the waiter said cheerfully. "And you ser…?"

"No," Cheren said. "I'm fine."

"All right then. I'll be right back."

The waiter left after I thanked him for the service and Cheren and I continued talking about the battle I had with Bianca.

"You shouldn't charge into a fight like that unless you're prepared. What if Silver couldn't hold on long enough? You could've disproved your own point!"

"I wasn't looking for a win," I said. "I just wanted to prove to her that I'm a competent person."

"But you need to prepare for things like that," Cheren almost yelled. "How do you expect to get far in the league challenge if you charge into battles with no consideration for any consequences?"

"Pardon the intrusion, once again," the green haired waiter said placing a tall glass of iced tea in front of me. "But were you talking about the league challenge?"

"Uh, yeah," I said surprised from his sudden reappearance. "We're going to attempt it."

"Oh! That's wonderful," the waiter cheered as though he were on a sugar high. "Hold on, I'll be right back!"

* * *

><p>The three waiters stood in front of us as Cheren and I finished eating. Apparently, the green haired waiter, who was apparently Cylin, called for his brothers, Chili, a red haired dude, and Cress, a blue haired guy. According to Cylin, these three were the gym leaders of the city, and we battled one of them depending on what official starter we picked. Each leader used a different type of Pokémon: Cylin used grass, Chili used fire, and Cress used water. Apparently, we fought the leader with the Pokémon who had a type advantage against us. That meant I had to fight Cylin and his grass type.<p>

"So," Chili asked. "You guys got the rules down, right?"

"Yeah."

"So," Cylin started. "When shall we battle?"

"Just as soon as our Pokémon are healed," Cheren said. "We had a tough time training today, and Karina felt she had to prove a point abou…"

"Shut up Cheren," I interrupted while giving him a death glare. I calmed down before turning back to the leaders before I spoke again. "If Silver's ok, is tomorrow good?"

* * *

><p>"Um, Karina," Bianca asked as I climbed onto the top bunk of one of the two bunk beds in the small Pokémon Center room. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"<p>

Bianca sounded nervous, and I smerked, with my back turned to her so she couldn't see. "What about?"

"Earlier…"

I turned to face her, now lying on my side. "What about it?"

"Well," Bianca started before hesitating for a moment. "Actually, it's kinda about the last two years…"

I stayed silent and let her continue, showing her that I was paying attention and was willing to hear her out.

"Well, um, I guess… I guess what I wanted to say is… Well, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you… And I'm sorry that it took watching Pokey getting beaten up to realize it… I know you're not dumb or anything… I always knew that… But…"

"But you're not used to being around people with physical disabilities, and when you hear the word disability, you instinctivly assosiate it with mental nutcases or mentally retarded people."

The room went silent for a moment before Bianca spoke again. "I'm guessing you get that kind of thing a lot…"

"Yeah," I said. "You know? I owe you an apology too."

"Wait, what," Bianca asked confused. "What for?"

"For letting my Portuguese temper get out of control," I said laughing. "Seriously though… Sometimes I snap without meaning too…"

"Well, I guess I can understand how that can be frustrating," Bianca said. "By the way, I accept your apology, you know, for the record and whatnot."

"In that case," I said in response to Bianca's playful tone. "I accept yours. You know, for the record and all that."

The two of us started laughing as Cheren, who had been spending his sweet time in the bathroom, entered the room. He seemed surprised that Bianca and I were getting along, let alone talking to each other, but he tried to act like it was normal.

"Shower's free," he called as he threw his wet towel on me. "Who's next?"

"What the fuck, dude," I shouted in annoyence. "That's fucking gross! That thing touched your ass! Take it back!" I threw the towel back at him and it sailed past his head and landed on the floor behind him.

"Lovely," Cheren said sarcastically. "Doesn't yours touch your butt too?"

"Yeah," I responded playfully. "But I don't know where yours has been."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, that was chapter 3. It took me quite a lot longer to write this chapter, you know, since I'm a crappy fight scene writer and all. Uh, anyway, this chapter is <strong>**definitely a reflection of how I can go from happy, to royally pissed to calm and understanding in the span of, well, a really short time. It runns in the family. I'm not kidding. **

**So, uh, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Oh, and if you're wondering why I included that ass towel thing at the end… Well, apart from wanting to end this on something totally random, I have absolutely no idea. **

**Well, that's it then. Please review this and tell me what you like about it, as well as what needs impruving. Thanks in advanced! **

**Oh, by the way, ten metaphorical bucks goes to the first reviewer to tell me where I got Pokey's nickname, and why I used it! Good luck! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: My Can has Been Kicked

* * *

><p>"Good morning," Cylin greeted as Cheren and I entered the restaurant gym. "I assume your Pokémon are finally ready for a battle?"<p>

Silver's burn took a few days to heal, but he was ready to fight despite that. Nurse Joy and I didn't want to risk it though. Burns had a nasty habit of hurting Pokémon more then they should in battles. Now, he was all ready and itching for a fight.

"Yeah," I said realizing that I was actually pretty nervous. "He's ready."

"Are you," Cheren asked incredulously.

"Nervous are we," Chili chimed in with a stupidly huge grin on his face. Seriously, how could someone have a giant grin that I could see from a distance and not have their jaw fall off?

"Now now," Cress scoffed at his red haired brother. "You know very well how nerve-wracking a trainer's first gym battle can be. Still… I would be a lier if I didn't say that a trainer should be one with their Pokémon in order to acquire victory over a gym."

Cress's statement made sense to me. If someone was under the command of someone who was hesitant, then disaster was bound to occur. If the commander was confident and sure of themselves, as well as clear-headed, the chances of success were greatly increased. The same can be said about whoever is under the commander's command. If they are not confident, or are unsure of themselves, it becomes difficult for the commander to issue orders efficiently. In my case, I was the commander and Silver was my confident little fighter. He would have no problem following orders in battle, but would I be able to give out the right ones?

"Perhaps," Cylin thought out loud, cutting into my thoughts. "A nice continental breakfast will lighten the mood!"

At that statement, my thoughts shifted to the fact I had slept in that morning and Cheren didn't let me have any breakfast before zooming to the gym, ya know, Sonic style. My stomach growled at the thought of a continental breakfast. I loved scrambled eggs, bacon, and all that good stuff.

"You've got to be kidding me," Cheren chimed in in his usual annoyed tone. "I came here for a battle, not to hang around a restaurant all day!"

"You're friend's stomach says otherwise," Chili laughed. "Did you, by any chance eat before you came?"

"He did," I said. "I ended up sleeping in and dragged out the door when I woke up." I gave Cheren a death glare as I finished my sentence.

* * *

><p>I dove into the mountain of eggs that Cylin had placed in front of me. They were delicious, to say the least! The eggs were scrambled, but they were nice and creamy but far from completely raw. Cylin was truly a master chef who put his heart into his cooking.<p>

Chili placed some bacon on the table, witch I decided to sample. It smelled great and it was fried to crunchy perfection. It took some effort to keep my mouth from watering while eating it.

Cress brought in the rest of the breakfast: toast, sausage, and an entire buffet of food that was able to feed everyone, including people who just happened to stroll in for a bite to eat.

"This is fantastic," I exclaimed as I swallowed a mini mountain of eggs. "Reminds me of Mom's cooking!"

"We're supposed to be having gym battles," Cheren said with his usual annoyed tone. "You had your chance for food this morning and you missed it."

"Shut up and eat," I ordered in Portuguese, witch meant he didn't understand me.

I smirked as Cheren questioned my order. What did you expect me to do? He dragged me out of the dam Pokemon Center WITHOUT letting me have any food. Now, I was eating, and he was being an ass AND not indulging in the awesomeness that was Breakfast. So, I thought I'd introduce a bit of Portuguese to piss him off, witch worked by the way.

"I said, shut up and eat," I clarified in English. "God, Cheren, quit being such a spaz."

"Hehe, spaz," Chili laughed as he came out of the kitchen with moist lemon cloths. "That's a good one! Come on, kid, quit being such a spaz!"

"Watch it hot shot," Cheren snarled.

* * *

><p>"Lucas, let's go!"<p>

"Burn 'em up, Scorch!"

The battle between Cheren and Chili had begone as the two threw their pokeballs onto the battlefield that could be seen by looking down from the restaurant tables.

"Lucas, Vine Whip!"

"Scorch," Chili commanded confidently. "Inferno!"

The Panseir, obviously named Scorch, spewed a stream of flame that went blazing toward Lucas. The fire started to spread, or at least, it looked like it was spreading, and it caught hold of the vines that the grass snake was sending towards it's target.

Lucas visibly winced in pain as the flame quickly created up the vines, but he didn't lose focus despite that.

"Bale out," Cheren shouted. "Cut the line and jump out of the way!"

I didn't see exactly what happened, but the vines fell of Lucas and he catapulted himself into the air just as the fire hit where he was just standing.

"Absorb his energy," Cheren shouted.

"Scorch, Scratch him down!"

The fire monkey leapt into the air without hesitation as he delivered a well aimed Scratch to Lucas's face. As a result, Lucas lost his already slipping momentum and fell to the ground.

"Nice try," Cheren said. "But Lucas and I aren't done! We'll take you down, Chili!"

"Says the one with the grass type," Chili responded in his usual cocky tone. "You're done! Scorch, use Inferno while he's down!"

"Lucas, Leif Tornado! Try to redirect the flames!"

Scorch and Lucas unleashed their attacks simultaneously. The flames shot out and a swirl of leaves filled up half the arena. The flames crashed into the tornado and began swirling with the wind. It was frightening to see, and it actually hurt my eyes.

I couldn't see what happened next because I had to look away, but I herd the fire and a squeal of pain that signaled that someone had broken free of the fire tornado.

I turned back to the arena to see that Lucas and Scorch were both weakened by the events of the battle. I couldn't tell how badly either of them were hurt, but something told me that the fight would be over soon.

"Lucas," Cheren cried, slightly panicked. "Stay strong and use absorb!"

As if on cue, the Snivy began to glow a faint green before launching something at Scorch. Honestly, I have no idea what Lucas fired, but it was obviously essential for the attack. Speaking of witch, the attack connected before the Panseir could react. Apparently it was a fast flying object…

"Scorch," Chili called, a slight fear in his voice. "Finnish him off with Inferno before he recovers!"

Obviously sensing the urgency of the situation, Scorch didn't hesitate to launch his attack. Lucas attempted to dodge without Cheren's say so, but it connected without a hitch. I could almost feel the pain as Lucas was consumed by the fire.

Needless to say, Lucas was down and out when the flames cleared up and Cheren returned him to his pokeball and sent out Hawlkly, all without saying a single word.

"Wing attack," Cheren said finally. "Finnish him off."

The Pidove flew forward as Chili had Scorch initiate another Inferno attack. Fortunately, the bird was too fast for the monkey's attack, so he wasn't hit. Unfortunately for Scorch, he was hit head on by Hawlkly's wing, witch knocked him down. For a tiny bird, he had some strong ass wings!

In obvious pain, Scorch retaliated by scratching madly at the bird. Unfortunately, Hawlkly flew away from the fire monkey and came around for another attack.

"Hawlkly, finnish him with Arial Ace!"

The attack came strong and fast. In fact, it was too fast! I couldn't see squat, you know, other then and unconscious monkey lying on the ground.

* * *

><p>"Well, well," Chili said as he and Cheren met up with the rest of us. "Looks like I'm pushing up daisies."<p>

"Metaphorically, that is," Cress added. "And quite frankly, that phrase doesn't apply, unless you've become a slave to a Cofagrigous."

"Whatever," Chilli replied. "The point is, my can has been kicked, so I've got a badge to give up."

* * *

><p>I stood in the arena, across from Cylin, as Cheren had done with Chili. I was still nervous, especially after seeing how Chili had used typing to his advantage to take out Lucas. Then again, Silver was a competent fighter. He could hold his own against Lucas, after all. Maybe I would be ok. Yeah, I was going to be fine! There was more to a battle then typing anyway. I just had to do a bit of thinking, that's all.<p>

"Are you perhaps still a bit nervous," Cylin asked from the other side of the arena. "Please, don't be. I am simply a trainer who will give you a badge if you win. It's just a regular battle other than that."

"Silver and I put this battle off long enough," I said, trying to sound confident. "Now, we're gonna win."

I threw Silver's pokeball and Cylin threw his. Our Pokémon both came out in a flash, revealing the blue and white otter, and the green monkey, otherwise known as Pansage.

"All right," Cylin said, starting off the fight. "Leaf, my wonderful Pansage, please start off with Razor Leaf."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>

**TV Announcer Dude: So, Chili's can was kicked, Karina had a nice breakfast, and her gym battle has officially started. Will Karina pull through despite having only a water type? Will Cylin end up kicking her ass? Tune in to the next exciting episode… **

**Me: Yo! This is a FANFIC, not a TV show! **

**TV Announcer Dude: Oh, Uh, hi CBP… I was just… **

**Me: Steeling the spotlight? **

**TV Announcer Dude: Well, no… I just thought I'd provide an epic ending to this chapter. **

**Me: By making it sound like the anime with the word 'ass' in it? **

**TV Announcer Dude: Well… Yeah… *walks away, ashamed of himself***

**Me: M'k… That was… quite something. Anyway, I've got some stuff to clear up. First, although no one has said anything about it, Pokemon speech is English when N is around. This doesn't affect Karina in any way, it's just a way to show that N really can talk to Pokémon. So, N will react to the things Pokemon say, but no one ells will. **

**Also, I'm aware that my fight scenes are horrible. Also, the fact that I put a fight in every chapter was purely coincidental. Obviously, You'll be reading another one in the next chapter, seeing as it's a gym battle and it will move the plot along a little. Let's face it… Cheren and Karina won't leave Striation without the badge… **

**So, anyway, go ahead and leave a review. As long as you don't complain about my infrequent updates! I've got Co-op, and tuns of school stuff to take care of. Plus, I'm THE editor of the school year book this year. I don't even get a co-editor! **

**So, yeah. I'm pretty busy. That's basically why I haven't posted this chapter until now. But now, exams are over for now, and I've literally just started my second co-op placement in music therapy. That means I won't have a prep period to write anymore. I'm going to work around it though!**

**Also, I have a few chapters written already. If things go well, you'll get two more by the end of this week, if not, next weekend. I'm doing this because I'm celebrating my acceptance into College. I'm so freaking excited! **

**Anyway, like I said, review. Oh, and if one of you can give me pointers on how to improve fight scenes, that'd be beyond awesome, and you'll get props for like, ever! **


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